


Starlight Delivery Extravaganza

by SonicCeleste



Series: Crystals and Rolanberries [8]
Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: Happy Starlight!, M/M, Male Warrior of Light (Final Fantasy XIV), Miqo'te Warrior of Light (Final Fantasy XIV), Now back to wrapping Christmas presents lmao, have some fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-24
Updated: 2019-12-24
Packaged: 2021-02-25 23:47:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,163
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21943864
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SonicCeleste/pseuds/SonicCeleste
Summary: No’a arrives at the First with a postbag of presents and a big red coat. Once G’raha remembers the occasion, he sets to work while No’a delivers gifts to the Scions.
Relationships: G'raha Tia | Crystal Exarch/Warrior of Light
Series: Crystals and Rolanberries [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1841296
Comments: 1
Kudos: 27





	Starlight Delivery Extravaganza

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Christmas! Here’s some fluff (~• •)~

“Ah, No’a, welcome back! You look… um… red?”

G’raha’s smile turned uncertain as he fully took in No’a’s large bright red coat, complete with fluffy white trim and a similarly styled bobbled hat to match - even his face had turned a startling shade of reddish-pink, with a shiver that told G’raha it must be quite cold back at Mor Dhona. A warm red outfit for a cold season… the concept sounded familiar, but he couldn’t quite place it.

“Mornin’ sweetness!” No’a greeted with his usual bright grin before digging into the postbag strapped around his shoulder, pulling out a rectangular gift box with red ribbon and cheerfully handing it to the Seeker with a singsong “For you~”

“Oh, um… Thank you?” G’raha gently took the box and, with No’a’s nod of encouragement, pulled the ribbon and lifted the lid. Inside was a wool scarf and hat, both sharing the same red, black and white colour scheme that he so often wore with an embroidered gold pattern to complete the look. Feeling both his heart and his face warm up, he looked up at the Keeper with a fond smile. “You made these?”

“Of course! The embroidery was the easy bit - knitting was new, but the Weaver’s Guild helped me out. What do you think?”

“I love them,” G’raha said simply, holding the box close to his chest. “I’m sure once the cold weather starts to come in they’ll be a godsend. Thank you, love - though I must ask since you’re dressed up, what’s the occasion?”

“Why else would I be wearing this big ol’ coat?” No’a replied as he spun on his heels to show off the thick coat in its entirety (G’raha amusingly noted how it looked two sizes too big on him) before adjusting the strap of his postbag and dashing off to the Ocular’s door.

“… Wait, that didn’t answer-“

The Exarch stopped mid-sentence as the door swung shut - then five seconds later it flung open again, the bard jogging up to hold his lover’s chin with a gloved hand and give him a quick, chaste kiss.

“I've just got some gifts to deliver, but I’ll be back by teatime, alright love?”

G’raha nodded, too lovestruck by the Keeper’s handsome smile to finish his earlier sentence. “Should I get anything special?”

“Hm… Maybe some roll cakes? I’ve had a craving since they were being given out at the Starlight celebration!” No’a offered before heading out the door. G’raha waved him off happily - then froze.

_ Starlight. _ It had been so,  _ so _ long since he last celebrated the holiday, back before he sealed himself in the tower, of  _ course _ he’d forgotten it, but now that No’a was here… He had to do something for the occasion, if only for his beloved Warrior.

“By teatime… Let’s see…”

He hurried over to the Umbilicus, plans already forming in his mind.

——————

“Shtola!!”

The Miqo’te woman ignored the yell from the other end of the market, instead intending to continue her conversation with Bragi. The Ronso, however, looked up and started laughing heartily.

“It seems the Warrior of Darkness has turned into the Warrior of Crimson! What in wicked white are you  _ wearing _ , No’a?”

Now  _ that _ sounded interesting. Y’shtola finally turned around to where No’a was behind her and smiled slyly. “Yes, No’a, pray tell what it is you’re wearing? I do hope it’s not your latest Dancer outfit - Thancred was nearly blinded by the view the other day.”

“For one, he’s seen those stockings before, and for two it’s his fault for barging into my room without knocking! Honestly, he should know by now…”

She giggled at the exaggerated huff from the bard, who was fidgeting with his post bag as he scrambled to find the right gift. “Well, anyroad, I don’t know what the season is here, but back… home,” he said carefully, eyeing Bragi, “it’s Starlight, so I’m wearing one of those red outfits with the fluffy white trim? Don’t know if it was such a good idea though, it’s really warm here…”

“The atmosphere’s still adjusting, so it’ll be warm for a while. Please tell me you’re wearing the ridiculous-looking hat too,” Y’shtola said, her smile growing wider. No’a grinned and shook his head from side to side, making the bell inside his hat’s pompom ring cheerfully. The two burst into laughter, leaning Bragi utterly perplexed as he still stood between them.

“My apologies for interrupting, but what exactly is Starlight?” He asked with a tilt of his head. No’a looked up at him, still grinning madly.

“It’s a holiday back home!” the bard explained. “I’m always a little fuzzy on the background, but basically people get together to sing and exchange presents! There’s usually a lot of decorations too, like trees with baubles on and garlands hanging up high - it’s like the whole world stops and is at peace for the celebration, you know?”

The Ronso nodded as he listened. “That sounds like a marvellous time! The whole world at peace… If only we could do something big like that in the Crystarium, now that the night sky’s returned.”

“There’s nothing wrong with starting small,” Y’shtola offered. “Maybe you could get everyone to sing together and give out small gifts to the children? I, personally, find extravagance unbecoming…”

“Was that a shot at me?” No’a muttered as he looked deeper inside his bag.

“I think it says more that you thought it did, my friend,” The sorceress replied with a perfectly innocent smile. No’a huffed again, but this time chuckled after.

“Fair point, fair point. But speaking of gifts!” No’a finally pulled out a rectangular box with teal ribbon from his postbag and handed it to Y’shtola, who opened it in earnest. “Master Matoya helped me pick out yours, Shtola. It’s a-“

“A tome about dark magic from the depths of the forbidden section back home,” she interrupted with a quiet voice and a fond smile, as if reminiscing as she gazed at the book. “I remember hearing about this one from her, a long time ago… How thoughtful. Send her my regards when you return to the Source, won’t you?”

“Of course.” No’a bowed in an over-the-top fashion. “Happy Starlight, my enchantress~”

“Shtola.”

“Eh, worth a shot. You’ll like one of my nicknames eventually!”

Y’shtola simply shook her head and bade farewell to Bragi while No’a warped to his next destination. The Ronso started thinking about what No’a said about their native ‘Starlight’ celebration. He imagined the Crystarium lit up and decorated with all sorts of colourful decorations and smiled to himself. It would be an excellent idea to raise morale, holding a peaceful celebration. Maybe if he spoke with the people at the Crystal Mean…

Something caught his eye across the marketplace.

“Ah, Exarch! Just the man I wanted to see! Your friends were just mentioning something called ‘Starlight’...”

——————

Alphinaud and Alisaie looked at each other with uncertain expressions as they held their respective gift boxes, then back at No’a who was waiting patiently in front of them with his tail happily swishing from side to side. He’d managed to catch them both while Alisaie was visiting Eulmore, and when he told them it was Starlight they were both incredibly excited to receive their presents. However…

“You didn’t… get us identical gifts again, did you?” Alisaie finally asked. “The boxes are the same, and I remember last Starlight with the jumpers…”

The bard simply shook his head, the bell on his hat tinkling gently. “I  _ almost _ did - and for the record those matching jumpers were  _ adorable _ -” he emphasised with a point at the two of them, “but you two are growing up so fast that I thought I’d give you actually practical gifts instead to help you while you’re still here. Now hurry and open them, I’m on a schedule but I want to see your reactions!”

Rolling her eyes at No’a’s impatience, Alisaie pulled the red ribbon and opened the lid, with Alphinaud doing the same to his blue ribbon. Their eyes lit up.

“My  _ word _ ,” Alisaie whispered with a surprised smile, slowly pulling out her gift - a sturdy-looking hunting knife, kept safe in an ornate red leather sheath attached to a belt. She looked up at the grinning Miqo’te. “You remembered I was having trouble hunting for the Inn, then?”

No’a nodded with a grin and a happy flick of his ears. “That’s one of the best to use back on the Source, trust me - you could bend it against solid bone and it wouldn’t so much as groan. There should be a whetstone in there too. As for Alphie…”

“A set of ornate journals with some fresh quills and high-quality ink,” Alphinaud finished, admiring one of the journals’ silver and blue cover with a smile. “In all honesty I’ve been wanting to put down my thoughts and findings on current events for some time now, so this couldn’t have come at a better moment. How fare the others back home?”

“They’re all doing fine, don’t worry. I got them gifts too.”

Alphinaud gave No’a a puzzled look. “You’ve never done that before…”

The bard shrugged. “They’ve done so much this past year, I figured I’d give them all a treat, so I bought a bunch of Starlight cakes. I might have to revert to old ways for food, though, those cakes are expensive…”

“Oh, just ask your crystal boyfriend to cook something for you instead of flirting with strangers,” Alisaie pointed out, smirking at the sudden shocked blush that had spread across No’a’s face. “Regardless, didn’t you say you had a schedule?”

The bard’s ears flicked up in alarm as he looked at the chronometer above Mowen’s stalls. “Shit, half a bell and I’ve still got to head to the Empty… Teleport it is. Right then!” He grabbed the twins in a tight hug as aether started spiralling around him, the two returning the hug just as tightly. “Happy Starlight, you two. Oh, and there should be some extra sweets in your boxes too - but Mum’s the word, yeah?”

No’a vanished into the aether before either one could reply. Alphinaud dug deeper into his box, pulled out a pouch of konpeito and chuckled. “He still can’t help spoiling us even if we are ‘growing up so fast’, it seems.”

Alisaie shrugged and took a bite out of one of her own identical sweets. “I’m not complaining - I can take these back to the Inn to share. All this does make me wonder if we can make our own Starlight, sing some songs over some stew and hand around sweets... I think it’d really help. Say, Alphinaud, do you remember any carols?”

“Somewhat,” Alphinaud replied. “Shall we get going, then? You’ll need all the help you can get to organise.”

“And what does  _ that _ mean, exactly?”

——————

The trio at the Empty knew to expect No’a as he mentioned Starlight the last time he’d stayed at the Empty. Ryne was fascinated by the anecdotes Thancred and Urianger gave about the season - a grand celebration throughout their nation where people decorated trees, sang songs, played about in something called ‘snow’ and gave gifts to the people they loved. In Ryne’s opinion it sounded absolutely  _ fantastic _ \- it was just a shame there wasn’t anything like that in Norvrandt.

So, she decided to bring Starlight to them all in her own way, with the help of No’a.

“Merry Starlight, everyone~!” came a singsong voice as No’a walked up to the three of them eating lunch. Ryne looked up from her sandwich and started giggling, Thancred soon following as they saw the oversized outfit.

“Hey! I wore this  _ just  _ for you, Princess!” No’a pouted with a hand on his hip. “You said you wanted as much of the Starlight experience as you could get!”

“I know, but… haha… I didn’t expect it to be so  _ fluffy! _ ” Ryne couldn’t stop giggling, and No’a couldn’t help but smile fondly - she’d been opening up lately the more time she spent around the twins, and seeing her act more like the child she was… It was heartwarming.

“I gather thou hast brought gifts for us, No’a?” Urianger said with a thankfully neutral expression. The bard nodded and pulled out the last three gift boxes from his postbag, with white, pink and gold ribbon.

“Let’s see… White one’s yours, Pops!”

Thancred shot No’a an annoyed look which he grinned at. He opened the box to see a bottle of alcohol - an expensive one by the look of the label. He nodded appreciatively. “That’ll keep things a bit less monotone around here. Cheers.”

“I gotcha,” No’a winked playfully before handing the gold-ribboned present to Urianger. “I’ll be honest, hot stuff, I didn’t have a clue what to get you, but Tataru suggested some tea? So I got what she had on her list - it’s a joint present from the both of us, I suppose.”

The Elezen picked up one of the canisters of tea leaves and smiled. “It’s been a long time, but I know these to be mine favourites - though if Tataru penned the list as thou said, it should have been no surprise. My deepest thanks to the both of you.”

No’a nodded before kneeling down in front of Ryne, holding out the final gift box as if presenting a sword to royalty. “And for you, Princess - your very own Starlight for you to visit whenever you please.”

Confused, Ryne took the box and pulled the ribbon. What appeared to be a simple leather bound book was inside, but when she flicked through the pages her eyes widened. “Is this… the Source?”

Thancred and Urianger crowded next to her as she went through the pages, each carefully painted with a different landscape - Gridania, Limsa Lominsa, Ul’dah - but all having the same kind of decorations and feeling of Starlight. You could practically feel the festive air leaping through each painting.

“A merchant I knew from my hunting days owed me a favour, so he wrapped one of his artist friends to put all those together. I’m hoping you’ll be able to visit the Source for Starlight properly, but for now…”

“Oh, thank you, thank you so much!” Ryne exclaimed happily, clutching the book to her chest. “I’ll take very good care of it, I promise!”

“You’re very welcome,” said the bard with a bright grin as he stood up and headed to the Aethernet Shard nearby. “Phew… And that’s all gifts delivered! I need to head back to the Crystarium in time for the Exarch, but have a happy Starlight!”

“Happy Starlight!” Ryne repeated back as she waved him off. She started flipping through the pages of the book again, Thancred sitting next to her and happily pointing out which places were which. Urianger watched the moment unfold with a warm smile.

——————

No’a slowly shut the door to the Ocular behind him and sighed as he slumped against it. “Gods, I do  _ not _ envy Saint Starlight.”

It was a joy to give presents to all his friends, for sure, and seeing how he’d inspired Bragi to organise a small set of stalls and a choir for the children in the Crystarium as he rushed past the market made his heart warm up to no end, but… all the running around was  _ exhausting _ , especially in the thick red coat he’d insisted on wearing for Ryne’s sake (curse the currently unsynced weather cycles). Still, it was three bells past noon, and that meant his favourite part of the day - and he’d never skip out on more time with G’raha, no matter how tired he was.

He walked through the Umbilicus’ open doors only to stop dead in his tracks when he found what could only be described as a  _ nest _ of blankets, pillows and cushions splayed out against the back wall, with a tray of tea and his requested roll cakes in front of a relaxed redhead Miqo’te deeply engrossed in a book.

“Raha?”

The Exarch jumped at the mention of his name, making No’a chuckle. “What’s all this, sweetness? Usually the bedding’s a mess on the floor  _ much _ later on~”

It took a moment for G’raha to regain his composure and stop stuttering before he spoke, though he still couldn’t keep eye contact (which was still exceptionally cute in No’a’s view). “Ah, well… This is your Starlight gift! I admit, I was a little hard-pressed to find something on such short notice, but you’ve been running around all day so I thought, maybe… you’d like to spend the rest of the day here with me? I got you the roll cakes too, in case you wanted a physical present,” he added with a small, nervous laugh.

No’a just stood there speechless, staring, and G’raha worried if something was wrong - then suddenly he was overwhelmed with warmth as the Keeper practically leapt over, narrowly avoiding the tea tray, knelt down and hugged him tightly, burying his face into G’raha’s crystal shoulder.

“Raha, you’re the best gift I ever could’ve gotten,” No’a said quietly, his smile almost audible.

“I’m almost certain you’ve said the same line to someone else before,” G’raha teased, stroking the spot just behind No’a’s fluffy ears that made him give out a short, contented purr.

“I mean it though,” No’a replied, shrugging off the red coat to reveal a white turtleneck before cosying up closer, sinking into the many blankets and cushions. “You’ve been nothing but good to me, Raha - even when I didn’t trust you at first. I wasn’t… in the best of places when I first came here, after so much war and fighting and stress. It took a bit, but the kindness, consideration and pure love that you’ve given me… It’s helped more than I could ever put into words.”

“And you’re a bard!”

“Exactly!”

They both laughed for a while before No’a continued, sitting up and holding G’raha’s face in his hands as he spoke.

“Raha. I know that I’ll be remembered here as the Warrior of Darkness who returned the night to Norvrandt, but… Rescuing you, Raha, keeping you alive and being able to love you… I consider that my greatest victory, and the best gift Menphina and Hydaelyn combined could ever give me.”

This time G’raha was the one left speechless, glowing ruby eyes gazing into warm amber before tears started rolling down his face. The Keeper simply smiled and pulled him in for a kiss, deep and affectionate as they held each other like they were the only things in reality. The warmth and love that G’raha felt from No’a was almost overwhelming - he felt the exact same way, of course, but even after all this time he still couldn’t believe that he was  _ here _ , that he was  _ loved _ , that things had worked out so perfectly.

“Happy Starlight, Raha. I love you, so much.”

“I love you too, No’a. Happy Starlight.”

As cliche as it sounded, being together with his love, his inspiration… it really was the greatest Starlight gift.


End file.
